UPDATED with new plea: One of four suspects charged in connection with the shooting death of former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor pleaded guilty today on charges of attempted robbery and grand theft.
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Leonel Gutierrez, 18, made an open plea to the court, meaning his guilty plea was made without any agreement with prosecutors about his sentence.
The three other suspects in the case have pleaded not guilty. Robert Isaiah Barceleau, Sergio Estrada, 18; and Frank Olano, 23, are due back in court Oct. 16, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for them to stand trial.
As the alleged gunman in the killing, Barceleau was being held without bail, while Estrada’s bail was set at just over $2 million, and Olano’s at just over $1 million.
Gutierrez was released on bond after his bail was lowered to $120,000.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge will determine Gutierrez’s sentence at a hearing set for Nov. 1 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
Gutierrez is facing a maximum of four years and eight months in state prison. He remains free on bond while awaiting sentencing.
PREVIOUSLY on August 29: Three suspects, including two facing murder charges , have pleaded not guilty in the May shooting death of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor.
The three were arraigned Thursday morning before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Susan De Witt in downtown L.A.
Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of the alleged gunman, 18-year-old Robert Isaiah Barceleau of Huntington Park, who is charged with murder and the special-circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of an attempted robbery. He’s facing a potential sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
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Also pleading not guilty were Sergio Estrada,18, who was also charged with murder, but is not charged with the special circumstance allegation. He was also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both while armed with a firearm.
Additionally, 22-year-old Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood, pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the killing, along with receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A fourth suspect, 18-year-old Leonel Gutierrez, who is charged with attempted robbery and grand theft by embezzlement, both with gun allegations, indicated through his attorney that he would plead guilty. He is free after posting $120,00 bond.
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De Witt set a preliminary setting hearing date of Oct. 16 for Barceleau, Estrada and Olano. Gutierrez was expected to enter his guilty plea on Sept. 11.
Wactor, 37, was killed in the early-morning hours of May 25 in downtown Los Angeles. Walking to his car with a co-worker after a bartending shift, he was shot after confronting three robbers attempting to steal the car’s catalytic converter.
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His death sparked an outpouring of reaction from the community, with dozens attending a rally in June demanding justice. L.A. District Attorney chief deputy Joseph Iniguez told the crowd at the time that the major crimes division was working with Central Bureau homicide detectives on the case, saying, “We have a number of leads.”
Wactor played Brando Corbin in 164 episodes of General Hospital during the years 2020-22. The long-running ABC daytime drama paid tribute to him in a mid-June episode .
City News Service contributed to this report.
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